Additional Information

Mr. Jaigopal Garodia was a successful businessman in Chennai. The Jaigopal Gorodia Foundation was formed in year 1974 by Mr. Garodia with focus on girls' education and with a motto of taking education to the poor.

As a strategy, he would adopt government schools mostly in the poor areas of Chennai, and help them out with their infrastructure needs. He strongly believed that schools should have class rooms/toilets/labs/benches/playground in good shape to motivate students to come to school; good enough to make the children feel proud of their school.

One of Garodia’s schools approached OPEN in the year 2003 for building a kitchen to cook their free lunch for their children. From that point of time, we have been involved in several infrastructure projects and scholarship programs for various Garodia schools.

Scholarship Programs:

From 2003 to 2006 OPEN provided scholarships to about 100 students in Jaigopal Garodia Girls' Higher Secondary School in Saidapet every year. Most of these girls are top rankers from economically backward families, and could not afford the tuition fees. In 2007, this was extended to 250 students from multiple Garodia schools.

Infrastructure Programs:

In 2003, OPEN built a kitchen for Jaigopal Garodia Girls' Higher Secondary School, Saidapet, Chennai. The kitchen doubles as a classroom for off-curriculum nursing and sewing classes that were started by a visionary headmistress. OPEN had also funded the purchase of desks and benches for 10th and 12th grade students, who have been writing board exams sitting on the floor. OPEN has been funding the annual education costs of 80 girls from classes 7-12 and had also started spoken English and Personality Development classes for select girls in Classes 9 and 11.

In the ensuing years OPEN has funded a construction of a science lab at Jaigopal Garodia Higher Secondary School, Madhavaram, Chennai, bench and desk sets for various Garodia schools, water sump, and completion of girls' toilets. Post-Chennai floods of late 2015, OPEN funded reconstruction and repair of an assembly stage, and repair of classroom furniture, at the Girls' school in Virugambakkam.

Spoken English Classes:

OPEN supported special spoken English classes for the students in a few Garodia schools including the ones in Saidapet and Virugampakkam.